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LONDON — The European budget airline Ryan Air capitalized on Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival in Great Britain to advertise their very low-cost flights in October.

The ad, which appeared in The Guardian this morning, notes that the papal trip was costing British taxpayers and the church an estimated £15 million ($23.5 million). It implies money would have been saved by having the pope fly RyanAir.

Of course, the ad omits the fact that the cost of flying the pope and his top aides to Great Britain is only a tiny fraction of the visit’s cost. The bulk of the cost is due to security measures and logistical arrangements for handling the tens of thousands of people hoping to see the pope.